


Shining Star of Bethlehem

by LadyMuzzMuzz



Series: Navigating the Stars. [8]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas one shot, DMCcret Santa 19, Did I mention fluff?, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, SyncSanta2019, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21706324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMuzzMuzz/pseuds/LadyMuzzMuzz
Summary: In Fortuna, Christmas is the sombre observance of when Sparda personally escorted the pregnant Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  Which is ironic, considering how you're celebrating Christmas at Devil May Cry.
Relationships: Vergil (Devil May Cry)/Reader, Vergil (Devil May Cry)/You
Series: Navigating the Stars. [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1491467
Comments: 29
Kudos: 165
Collections: Syncret Santa 2019





	Shining Star of Bethlehem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katkaotic87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katkaotic87/gifts).



> This is for the Secret Santa Discord chat that I belong to, for the lovely katkaotic87! Enjoy!
> 
> For my new readers to this series, this is set in a AU where Dante keeps Vergil from falling at the end of DMC3, and the story builds up from there...  
> If you've read most of the series, make sure you've read the previous story, Capella first to get the full impact.

The weather was cold and wet outside, with slush and sleet covering both the sidewalks and the steps of the red stone building. A gusty wet wind slashed down the street, blowing soggy newspapers, cardboard and various debris down the dirty snow covered street. Apparently, Mother Nature was feeling completely miserable.

Which contrasted dramatically with the building with the tacky flashing neon light. Warmth and light emanated from the frosted windows. And if one was close enough, they might be able to hear the sound of smooth jazz playing. And even closer, the savoury smells of ham, and the sweet scents of cinnamon wafted through the cracks.

Inside, you sat on the couch next to the brightly Christmas tree, a half empty plate on your lap. Well, kind of. It was balanced precariously on the enormous bump that had replaced your formerly flat tummy. And no, it wasn't just because you had loaded yourself with with scalloped potatoes and apple pie. You were eating for two, after all. Although with only a month or so to go, the pressure your child placed on your abdomen made eating large amounts of food almost impossible. So despite your hunger, you could only eat small portions, frequently. 

Which would have been fine on any other day, but today was Christmas, and feasting was an apparently a Mainland custom. In Fortuna, Christmas was mainly a sombre twelve day celebration of when Sparda personally escorted and protected the pregnant Mary as she and her husband traveled to Bethlehem. Ironic then, that you were spending this holiest of holidays pregnant, with the Sons and Sparda. And expecting a child of the same famed lineage. Mother Juliana's false teeth would have popped out of her mouth if she could see you now.

But you never considered yourself as anything close to being related to divinity. You were simply a young woman living with Vergil, his brother, your son-in-all-but-name, Nero, and very soon, a little baby girl. Were it not for the fact you felt like like snowman with the biggest snowball in the middle, life was perfect.

Well, perhaps not quite. Whispered bickering was coming from the kitchen, which probably meant a full on argument was about to erupt. You groaned, and with some effort, got off the couch, intending to put a stop to it, to not let it disrupt this peaceful atmosphere.

In the kitchen, both brothers were doing their least favourite chore: dishes. Vergil was up to his elbows in suds, (no gloves, demonic blood seemed to allow him to immerse his hands in scalding hot water, a nice perk), with Dante on drying duty, casually whirling the towel around the plate as if he was juggling a particularly small demon with a whip. Which he then passed to Nero, who was scurrying around trying to keep up by putting the dishes in the correct cupboard, occasionally having his uncle reach the higher shelves.

The twins were still muttering with each other as you walked in, and it was Nero who was the most alert. Seeing you ~~waddle~~ come into the room, he gave a sharp hiss and gave a kick to the back of his father's leg, in order to silence him from whatever he was arguing with his brother about. You pretended not to notice the disagreement as you placed the half eaten food in the fridge for later. No doubt it would be only an hour or two, at the rate your stomach allowed digestion.

“Need help?” you inquired.

“Nah, Sunshine, we've got this all under control. Besides, we're almost finished.” He tossed the pan to Nero, who snatched it out of the air with his claw and quickly placed it into the Lazy Susan.

“You should rest,” Vergil said, for once in agreement with his brother, wiping his hands dry upon a towel.

“I've been sleeping all afternoon! I didn't even help with making dinner!” you protested weakly. The past few weeks weather and your increasingly swollen belly had made you noticeably lethargic, to the point where you didn't even have the energy to argue more than that.

“You have enough of a reason to relax,” Vergil countered, his eyes glancing down to your stomach.

“I helped make the salad!” Nero exclaimed happily as he placed the last spatula into the drawer, “and dad did the ham! Uncle Dante made the potatoes!”

“And if I ever see another potato again,” his uncle grumbled, “It'll be too soon. I don't think I'll ever get the smell of potato skins out of my hands...”

“All of you did wonderful,” you said warmly, rising on your unsteady toes to give Vergil a peck on the cheek, “Both of us loved it,” you rubbed your stomach and walked over to Nero. Too late did he realize your intentions, and was unable to escape as you enveloped him for a hug, giving him a smooch on the cheek as well.

“DAAAAAAAD!” he wailed “SHE'S KIIIIISSSSING MEEEEE! MAAAAKE HER STOOOOOP!!” as he half-heartedly struggled to get away, prompting light laughter from you (and a sudden kick from your daughter)

“I suppose,” Vergil stated dryly, watching you release his son while wiping up the last remaining crumbs off the counter. “we can finish the gift giving, as you fell asleep shortly before it was your turn to receive.”

Your son lit up and raced towards the living room, towards the brightly lit tree. Where there had been piles and piles of gifts, only a few remained. From the corner of your eye you saw Dante give his elder brother a pointed stare, and mouthed words you couldn't make out. You tried to see, but by then, Vergil's hand snaked behind you and held your left hip, gently herding you back into the living room.

Dante and Nero were staring determinedly at each other, with your son's hands on his hips, trying to be intimidating as possible.

“I wanna give my gift to her first!” Nero said defiantly, but Dante, with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face wasn't buying it.

“No can do. I'm older, so I get to give her it first”

“That's a stupid rule”

“Well, I'm your uncle, and it's my place, so you gotta do what I say”

“It's not faaaair” Nero whined, stomping his foot petulantly.

“Nero,” Vergil warned as he helped you back onto the couch cushions.

“It's okay Verg, I got this,” he plucked an oversized coin out of one of his pockets. “Let's flip for it. Heads or tails?”

“Heads!” Nero proclaimed confidently.

For a brief moment you saw an absolutely diabolical grin flash on Dante's face, and he tossed the coin up,theatrically letting it land on the inside of his bent elbow, and launching it up again with a snap of his arm, before letting it land on the back of his hand, and placing his hand on top.

“Looks like it's.... TAILS!” he whooped as he placed the coin back in his pocket before going to grab a present covered in more tape than wrapping paper.

“ _Cough_ trickcoin _Cough”_ Vergil muttered, only loud enough for you to hear, as the soft crinkly package was placed firmly on your lap.

It took you much longer than you originally thought it would to unwrap it, with all the tape that covered it, so much so that you were about to just give up and get a pair of scissors, regardless of what Vergil might say or do. But with a little bit of patience, you were able to peel a corner. As you pulled the paper away, it revealed red wool. As it's paper and plastic cage was dismantled, the gift was unveiled, a matching set set of woolen mittens, toque, and scarf, all of them warm and fluffy. Your fingers grazed the surface as you reveled at the texture.

“You always get cold during the winter, so...” he rubbed the back of his neck and kicked his foot on the floor. “I figured I'd get something just for you,”

You quickly wrapped the coil of scarlet around your neck, and pulled your head into it, as if you were a heavily pregnant turtle. In truth, winters were usually miserable for you. Fortuna, at least the area where you lived, was a balmy climate, which made winter on the Mainland a nasty surprise for you. If you could lock yourself indoors for the next four months, life would be so much better.

“Thank you so much Dante, I love it!” you said, partially muffled by the pile of wool, and Dante beamed in happiness.

“Gotta say, red does look good on you” he added cheekily, and beside you, Vergil tensed up, if only minutely. Apparently happy that he had gotten under his brother's skin, he tapped his nephew on his shoulder, “Okay kiddo, your turn!”

Nero grabbed his present, a flat gold coloured metallic wrapped rectangle, which felt like a stack of paper. Perplexed, you found the seam, and gingerly pulled apart the foil, revealing a beige manila envelope, the size usually used for important legal paperwork you used to file in the bookstore's filing cabinet.

Puzzled, you looked up to see all three of the Spardas watching you intently, with Nero shuffling from foot to foot, fingering his new necklace with a hunk of Geryon horseshoe ('For good luck', his uncle had said). Dante was smiling in his signature “shit-eating-grin” (as Vergil grumpily had described it.) And Vergil, sitting completely still, tension palpable in his posture.

Lifting the flap of the envelope, you pulled out what at first glance was a bunch of legal papers, printed on crisp, high quality paper. But on closer inspection, you began to read the text. It was an adoption application, with all of Nero's and Vergil's information written in the appropriate areas, as well as Vergil's crisp signature, and Nero's shaky one.

All that was left blank was...

_The place where you would put your name and signature..._

The legalese began to blur together, and not because the text was incomprehensible. _Don't get your tears on the paper, it'll smudge the ink_ , you thought to yourself, as you looked up at the boy that looked both nervously and hopefully at you.

Setting the envelope and paper carefully beside you, you asked Nero, “You really want this?” his rapid nod and glassy eyes indicating he was just as serious as his father. Spreading your arms open, he launched himself (gently of course, making sure to avoid impacting your tummy) into an embrace. For what seemed like a lifetime, both of you just held each other in silence, with only the jukebox playing a soft saxophone solo providing any background sounds. Vaguely, you could feel the tension leak out of Vergil beside you, but you were more focused on the shaking bundle of hoodie and jeans his warm left hand, and equally warm, but scaly right hand. A warm wetness bloomed on your shoulder where his face was buried, and you placed your hand on the back of his head, stroking the bone-white hair.

“My dear, dear, Nero,” you murmured planting a kiss on his forehead (Nero, for once, did not protest the kiss). All those years ago, when you answered that knock on the door to the orphanage, only to find the black bundle placed on the doorstep, you had longed for this moment. To be a mother to such a sweet, brave, kind boy, you could be not be more blessed. And now, with another child on the way, it felt like you had truly completed yourself. Speaking of which, she kicked, causing Nero to squawk in surprise.

“I think she agrees....” you chuckled as he slowly climbed off your lap, rapidly wiping his face to destroy any evidence that he had been weeping, “so does anyone have a pen?”

A bit too eagerly, Vergil handed you his fountain pen (had he been holding it the entire time?) and with some difficulty keeping the paper flat on your limited lap space, you filled in the blank spots, and signed your signature, attempting to keep the writing smooth despite your trembling hands. With that, you placed the papers carefully back into the envelope, and set it on the side table, before wiping your eyes with your new scarf.

“It will take a while for the forms to go through, with the holiday closures, and the usual delay when it comes to legal paperwork” Vergil explained as he took his pen back, “so it may take a month, or even three months for it to truly to become official.”  
An exasperated groan came from Dante as he slapped his forehead. “Jeesh, Verg, you really know how to kill the mood.” You could have sworn his eyes looked much more shiny than usual. Grabbing his nephew's shoulder, he said cheekily, “C'mon kid, let's blow this popsicle stand, show me how well you can shoot that Nerf gun I got yah”

“Don't shoot at anything that can break!” Vergil yelled as his son eagerly ran out of the room, while Dante slowly followed, but not before giving a pointed stare at his older brother. What that meant, you had no idea, the twins had some sort of non-verbal language that you still hadn't cracked.

“They'll be fine” you said, rubbing Vergil leg as you leaned your head against his shoulder. Vergil only responded with a noncommittal huff as he placed his hand on yours, and rested his cheek upon your head.

“You did give Todd that thank you card?” you asked, hopefully in order to distract him, “Once I'm no longer feeling like a beached whale, I want to go to the burger joint in person, with a gift or something, for dealing with my midnight cravings.”

“Yes I did,” he responded, pulling your chin up so that you could look him in the face “and for the record, you are nothing like a whale. You are far too graceful”

“Sweetalker...” you grumbled good-naturedly. “I'm feel so top heavy right now. I can barely walk without feeling like tipping over.”

He unwrapped the scarf from your neck, and after setting it aside requested, “Dance with me.”

“What?”

“I wish to dance with you, to prove you are still as elegant as the day I met you, is that alright?” He got up and held his hand out to you. For a brief moment, you hesitated, before grabbing his hand, and with a ~~lot~~ little effort, he pulled you up and held you close. After a brief pause, he slowly began to move with you to the slow melodious sound of jazz.

It took you a bit to relax into his embrace, to find your footing, but as you did, you found it effortless to continue. You snuggled closer in his arms, reveling in his feel of his new black turtleneck, and the unique scent of his cologne, an intoxicating combination of mint and of cedarwood. As you slowly moved in time with the music, you lost yourself in his arms. Odd, you couldn't hear Nero and Dante, but in the end, you didn't care, you wanted this moment to last forever.

“I also have a gift for you,” Vergil whispered into your ear, and regretfully, he pulled away, if only a little bit. His hand slipped into a his b dress pants pocket, and pulled out a small box.

_A small blue velvet box_

“I have not had an easy life,” he started speaking, attempting to keep his voice as steady as possible “much of my life was spent on my own, with no one I felt that I could rely on. I believed I could not trust anyone, that everyone was trying to use me for their own, selfish ends. By the time I became a young man, I had determined that nothing but the accumulation of power was my goal. Not friends, not family, not....love.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest, and you could have sworn your child was becoming more active in response.

“And then, as if by divine intervention, our paths crossed, and you did something no one had done for me in over a decade, you gave me a precious gift, without asking for anything in return. Your selflessness, and your faith in me take care of my son, changed something in me. Set me on the path to be a better man, a better father, a better brother, and now,” he opened the box, revealing a beautiful diamond and sapphire braided ring, set in silver, “if you desire.... a better husband” The gems sparkled in the soft light of the Christmas tree, emphasized by the soft halos caused by your blurry sight.

“Nero's adoption is not contingent on accepting, whatever you choose I wi-” he started but you interrupted him with a passionate kiss, startling him immensely, before relaxing.

Pulling away, you giggled, partially to keep yourself from crying in joy. “Dante was right, you have knack of almost ruining the moment” Vergil grumbled something incoherent, and his hands shook as he took the ring from its satin bed, (he was shaking so bad, you thought he was about to drop the ring) and slowly placed it on your finger, which fit perfectly (when had he measured your finger size?)

“I will do my best to make you happy, to keep you safe, to be by your side no matter what happens. To you, to our son, and our daughter” And with angelic softness, he brought your face up for another kiss, this one lasting for what seemed like a blissful eternity.

Vaguely, you heard two voices, from up on the banister whispering.

“ _Ewww, they're doing that thing again”_

“ _Let them have their moment kid, let them have their moment”_

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was an absolute joy to write! I'd like to give a big shoutout to katkaotic87, who's been commenting on my stories in this series since nearly the beginning, and her comment was one of the first comments to make me think "Wait.... maybe people really enjoy my work, or at least she does."  
> Also, in the last story she unwittingly (muwahaha) added the headcanon about Todd, the poor midnight worker at the local burger joint who had to deal with Vergil Yamato'ing in to demand food for Reader's cravings. You don't know how much I was cackling when she suggested it, not knowing that I would use it.
> 
> To all my readers, from my Family to Yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!


End file.
